Nell Fields, second from left

By Alison Lehner

August 1, 2007 - Central Appalachia holds a great many women who are movers and shakers in their communities. Well-known activists Anne Barton, “Mother Jones”, Aunt Molly Jackson, and Ollie “Widow” Combs, have gone down in history as progressive women who have achieved great things for their communities and the region as a whole. These women, active in the mid 20th Century paved the way for Appalachian women to take the lead in all aspects of community, social, and political activism.

But not all women are written about or even noted for their contributions. Some women make progressive things happen on an everyday scale, and they may not even realize it themselves. It is this type of woman that has influenced Nell Fields of Cowan Community Center and Edna Gully of Appalachian Women’s Alliance to take on their positions as full time community workers.

Nell Fields has been doing community work in the Cowan Community of Letcher County since she was 16 years old. Her work began with a Neighborhood Youth Corps teen position that was intended to get young people active in their communities. Now she helps run and facilitate the various programs for children at the Cowan Community Center.

For Nell, getting things done in the community has little to do with being a man or a woman. Even when I asked her if she has had unique struggles as an active woman in the community, her response did not focus on the particular situation of her gender. Instead, it’s the sense of obligation to pay attention to the needs of those around her that drives Nell and the women she has worked with to overcome the obstacles that they encounter in their work. Nell hopes to pass the torch on to the young women of Cowan. She does this by letting other women figure out how they too can take action as individuals.

Edna Gully of Clinchco, VA

Edna Gully, another community activist, now runs the Appalachian Women’s Alliance Center in Clinchco, VA which serves as a support center for the women of Clinchco. They hold computer classes, writing workshops, make murals and t-shirts, as well as organize and encourage women to grow as leaders in the community.
Like Nell, Edna also finds that being a community activist has affected her personally in a way that continually draws her into her work. However, Edna had a different path towards her work within the community. Born and raised in Dickenson County, VA, Edna has seen her share of discouraged women. I asked her if this sentiment has something to do with false perceptions and stereotypes of Appalachian women. Edna’s mother was influential in turning this way of thinking around, particularly in terms of being an activist for other women who may struggle to have a voice in the community. Edna also works as an activist for her community while performing in Mountain Women Rising, an original theater piece made up of poems and writing by Central Appalachian women.

These are just two of many women who put their hearts and strength into listening to and taking action to helping the people of their communities. Through women like them we are reminded of the power and influence of Central Appalachian women: the ones that have come before and the ones in our present who carry on the tradition of activism and support in their communities.

 

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